Powerful German Editor, Accused of Misconduct, Takes Leave

With its colorful graphics and emphasis on scandal, celebrities and sports, Bild — which means “picture” — is Germany’s populist daily newspaper. The readership skews male. Until 2012, Bild featured a photo of a topless woman on the front page every day, and continues to publish images of semi-naked “Bild Girls” online.

Unlike Britain’s right-wing tabloids, Bild is relatively nonpartisan, but nevertheless opinionated, with an aggressive tabloid style although it is printed on a broadsheet format. Because of Bild’s reach it is often the publication that leading political figures use to communicate with voters, offering exclusive interviews or juicy leaks.

Mr. Reichelt, 40, a former war correspondent who became editor in chief of Bild in 2017, also frequently wrote opinion pieces. He had lately railed against what he said was the German government’s mismanagement of the pandemic crisis. He complained earlier this month that the authorities fined joggers for not wearing masks while federal and state governments bungled the rollout of vaccines.

Axel Springer, Bild’s parent company, is one of Europe’s most prominent media firms. Springer also owns Welt, a German daily newspaper; the online news site Business Insider; and Politico Europe. KKR, the private equity firm, owns 36 percent of Springer shares and holds three seats on the company’s nine-person supervisory board. Friede Springer, widow of founder Axel Springer, remains a major shareholder and a member of the board.

Springer said in a statement on Saturday that the investigation involving Mr. Reichelt would include “an evaluation of the credibility and integrity of all parties involved.”

The publisher added: “Prejudgments based on rumors are unacceptable for the Axel Springer corporate culture.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/14/business/german-editor-bild-julian-reichelt.html